The American Baptist Seminary of the West is a Christ-centered school that trains men and women for leadership in the church of the 21st Century who are:- Prepared to minister in a multicultural and multiracial world.- Rooted in an evangelical heritage and tradition.- Equipped for ecumenical partnership in ministry.-Informed theologically and biblically.- Skilled in the practice of ministry for personal, ecclesial and social transformation.- Committed to the justice demands of the Gospel.

As a charter member of the GTU (1962), ABSW is the center of Baptist ecumenical theological education in the far western United States. The seminary is affiliated denominationally with the American Baptist Churches, USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. ABSW admits students from a variety of denominational traditions.